Buongiorno tutti!
I thought I’d put together a photo diary of some of my favorite places and photos of Milan. I lived in Milan for about 3 years (and before I created this blog) and my blog just feels incomplete without Milan in it because it’s such a special part of my heart. 🙂
In this post, I’ll highlight some of the main places to visit and the beauty that Milan has to offer.
For starters, Milan is a very unique city compared to the rest of the country. It is by far the most international city of Italy, which is apparent after spending just a short time there. People from all over the world converge in Milan to become a part of this business and fashion center.
For a city that is so diverse culturally, it’s also interesting to note that it is not overly touristic. Milan maybe isn’t the first place that you think to visit when traveling to Italy, but there are stunning parts to it and it has a very different vibe which makes it very worth a visit.
Il Duomo di Milano
The duomo of Milan is the most amazing cathedral I have ever seen. Now, I haven’t seen the whole world (just yet 😉 ), but I have travelled extensively in Italy and Spain and I’ve never seen anything that even comes close to the breathtaking beauty of the Duomo di Milano. You can look at it for hours and still see new sculptures and details. It is made of gorgeous marble and took almost six centuries to complete (it remains unfinished actually).
My grandfather fought in the Italian army during WWII, and was able to see the duomo for a brief time in his travels with the military. My family is from a very small rural town in southern Italy, so he otherwise would never have been able to see Milan at all. He always spoke about how breathtaking it was so it’s really special to me. 🙂
Bear in mind that I used iphones for the following pictures, so some are not the best quality 🙂
Brilla proprio nel sole 🙂
A close up one of hundreds of sculptures that decorate the stunning duomo.
The enormous doors themselves provide endless art.
Cotton candy skies I caught one afternoon over the piazza.
Even on a cloudy day, it doesn’t disappoint.
La mia mamma ed io <3
You can also either climb stairs or take an elevator to the top of the duomo. There is plenty of space to walk around and see the view of the city from above, but also to see the architecture and beautiful detail of the structure up close.
That’s the galleria on the right.
A peek inside the duomo. One of the many altars. It is just huge inside and there is endless beauty.
The duomo takes on a different- equally beautiful- look at night.
There are often concerts and events in the piazza duomo. This was a concert I went to with special guest, Andrea Bocelli (!) if you can see him on the screen.
My favorite part about the piazza duomo is when it’s Christmastime and they set up a huge, sparkling tree out front.
The duomo is situated in the piazza next to the stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II seen at the left.
The entrance to the galleria.
A panoramic view inside the galleria. There are high end stores and restaurants.
Il Castello Sforzesco
The castle in Milan is another sight to see. It is just enormous. There is a museum inside of it with some special works by Leonardo Da Vinci and other beautiful paintings and painted ceilings. It has a huge trench surrounding it that was once a moat filled with water. The Castello Sforzesco totally brings you back to its time period by how impressive it is.
The fountain at the main entrance of the castle.
Plants taking over a wall of the old structure.
This is the Sala delle Asse inside the castle, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci to represent a forest.
A piece of artwork signed by Leonardo Da Vinci in the castle.
A painted ceiling inside the castle’s museum.
I Navigli
There are two navigli- or canals- in the city that were designed by Leonardo Da Vinci-the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Piccolo, and they are perpendicular to one another. They are usually filled with water (though they are often drained) and are lined on either side with narrow cobblestone streets filled with restaurants. Actually there are great aperitivos to find along the navigli 😉 I lived very close to the navilgio piccolo for almost all of my time in Milan, so I often walked them.
My mom, aunt, and I on the naviglio grande at night.
There are always surprises to find in Milan 🙂 This incredible garden is actually behind one of the buildings lining the naviglio grande 🙂
Arco della Pace
The Arco della Pace or the “Arch of Peace” was dedicated the peace made between European Nations that was reached in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna. Unfortunately I don’t have many photos of the Arco della pace, despite it being one of my absolute favorite things about the city.
I always thought of Corso Sempione, the street leading up to the arch as a mini Champs-Élysées 🙂 The structure is extremely impressive and detailed and stands at the start of Parco Sempione, the largest park in Milan. On Corso Sempione you can find amazing aperitivos as well. 🙂 It’s a fun place to hang around at night with friends.
Beautiful shots and places around Milan
In this next section of photos, I’ve just compiled some of my favorite shots and moments around Milan. There is beauty around every corner…
Let’s not forget the day that I had a death wish and decided to try the bike sharing in a city with streets too narrow for event the cars… 😀
I hope I’ve inspired some of you to make it to Milan at some point. It’s very underrated in my opinon 🙂 Buon lunedì e a presto! :*
Amanda
photo of galleria and statue: Silar, Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 Unported
photo of inside the galleria: paul bica, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
first photo of castle: G.dallorto
Beautiful place right there 🙂
Author
Absolutely 🙂
All these structures are amazing..You also look stunning there..Thank you for sharing…😊😊.
Author
aw thank you so much! 🙂
Welcome…😊.
I love cathedrals and castles! Not sure why LOL. Maybe it’s the grandness of the structures and thinking about all the effort that was put into making it what it is……….Anywho, great photos!
Author
It’s so hard to wrap your mind around the effort and time these structures took.. so interesting. Thank you 🙂
I what I like most about Milan is how people dress… they make the effort even to go to have a coffee! so glamorous!
Author
So true and that’s an Italian trait too! Something that’s gotten a bit lost in the U.S… looking nice no matter what 🙂
Absolutely beautiful! I hope to travel there someday, and I will keep these places in mind! Thanks for sharing!
Author
Thank you! 🙂
The architecture of those landmarks breathtaking, one of the most interesting post I’ve read thus far. Well put and interesting definitely of my favorite bloggers now 🤓 Milan looks cool !
Author
thank you so much, that’s so sweet! 🙂 xo
Gorgeous pictures!!
Beautiful post and <3 all the coffee <3
Author
thank you!! 🙂
Love the photos of il duomo in the different lighting. Nice one!
Author
Thank you! It looks beautiful in a different way in each light of day 🙂
Absolutely stunning – thank you so much for sharing!
Author
thank you! 🙂
Great article & pictures..I love Milan <3
Author
Thank you! 😊
Your pictures are great! I went to Milan for a few days earlier this year and absolutely fell in love with it. I need to visit again though as I didn’t see anywhere near as much as I wanted to! It must have been amazing living there! x
Author
thank you! that’s so great that you got to make it there 🙂 Well that gives you another excuse to go back… 😉
Tbf I don’t really need an excuse to go back haha! I did a post about it too so hopefully I did it justice! xD
Author
Hahaha 😊 I’ll definitely check it out ❤️
👍
The architectural masterpieces are breathtaking. Nice pics and descriptions. It’s so lively. Waiting for more posts on the cultural as well as historical aspects of Milan. Its such a lovely place indeed.
Author
Thank you 🙂
Welcome and waiting for more such lovely write ups
Author
Thank you! 🙂
So beautiful and great to get insights from someone who actually lived there! I’ve only been once to Milan, just one day and really want to spend some more time there!
Author
thank you! 🙂 for sure you have to make it back and explore a little more… there’s always something new to find!
Wow, incredible pictures!
Author
Thank you!😊
Thanks for stopping by imperfectliving.com These are beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing them. 🍷
Author
Thank you!
I’ve never actually been to Milan, however you may have just inspired me visiting there. Stunning!
Author
🙂 I hope I did! Thank you for the read <3
Milan’s architecture is amazing! I desperately need to visit, plus your panoramic shot of the galleria is amazing! 😍
Author
It is! You can look at it for so long and still see new things 🙂 Thank you!!
What a beautiful place to live!
Author
🙂
Milan is beautiful I hope to visit and capture such beauty like this
Author
It sure is. I hope you get a chance to see it too 🙂
You have some stunning pictures, i love the cotton sky x!
Author
Thank you! 😊
Love your photos. Milano looks beautiful!
Author
Thank you!! It most certainly is!
Beautiful photos!
Author
Thank you!!
Extraordinary post!
I can only give 1 “like”, but I wish I could have given 1 million!
Milano is my hometown and I love this city!
Well done!
Author
Haha thank you!! I love it too 😊😊
Whoa! This is amazing! <3 so pretty!!
https://danielasoriano.com/
Author
thank you!! 🙂
Milan looks beautiful! Definitely underrated, will have to pay a visit sometime!
Author
It really is 🙂
I liked this post! I visited Milan two years ago and loved it! I want to go back again soon! Nice pictures and I have been to the places listed in your post too!
Author
So nice!! 😊😊
Gorgeous place indeed! Wish I could pay a visit. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Author
🙂